Werewolf Haven
This is the story about Michael Lupus, a seventeen year old who moves from his home in London to a small town called Wolfhall. But there is a surprise about the town, and a secret that goes back with his family to the year 265 BC. Read to find out. Chapter 1 Rain spatters the windshield as we drive down the long, one-lane road that leads to my new home. A sign about five feet tall, hidden in the shadows, stands before us. Welcome to Wolfhall 1576 It's an old town. The brights on the car split through the dark night and the wipers clear up the windshield for a moment before more covers it. My mom keeps sighing in frustration; the going is tough. Tall pine trees line the road, sparse in the forest at first. But I can see the deeper you go, the thicker it becomes and decidious trees start sprouting up. The wheels spin hard as we drive up a muddy hill. The town is in a valley, I think. A small town, population of about twelve thousand. My mom wanted to move here, because her family originated from the town and ever since my dad died, life in London had been pretty hard. After strenous work, the car summited the hill and we look out over a valley. The town is clustered in the middle of it. A nice, bright square sits smack dab in the center and bright lights connect the tudor styled houses. It looks like some small towns from Germany I've been to. I can see people in the streets below. Our house lies a block or two away from the square. I try to find it, but we are to far away. My gaze shifts from the town up to the small mountain on the eastern side of the town. Halfway up, an eerie sight warms the cocoles of my heart. A huge partial Victorian mansion looks down upon the town. It already creeps me out. I wonder if anyone lives there. "This is amazing, isn't it?" my mom cheerfully says. I roll my eyes. "Great," I sigh. Even though it doesn't seem like it, I really do think it is a nice town. I miss London and it's size. I feel exposed in a small town, and I'll stick out like a sore thumb. A cry from the back of the GMC Acadia makes me turn around. My little sister, Lily, is holding her arm, glaring at her twin brother, David. He was holding a sharpened pencil and I could tell from the devious look in his eyes that he had just stabbed her. My mom chuckled and begin to wind down the hillside. Soon enough, we were in the town drving through the oak shaded streets. It seemed like every building is a tudor house. One huge tudor mansion sitsnear the town sqaure, which was probably the town hall and meeting area. I wonder if there is a jail? My mom pulls up to a nice sized tudor house with a blue door and a veranda. We step out and the rain pours down on us. Lily and David run to the shelter of the veranda, but Mom and I stay and begin to grab some bags. Most of the furniture and other stuff from London is already here, but it's all packed up except for five chairs and our matresses. I am not looking forward to constructing my bed. "Is there not a garage?" I ask. "It would be nice." I'd always wanted a garage for some reason. They seemed like a great place to store things and good shelter for the car. My mom shakes her head. "Nope. No garage." "Is there a basement?" David squeaks. "There is a cellar," says my mom. "But we are not exploring tonight. We need to get to bed. It is eleven thirty, much past your bedtime. And tomorrow is a big, big day." "Why?" I ask. "Because we get to unpack?" "And we will introduce ourselves to the neighbors," my mom says. "Also, it will be nice to explore the town." "Because there is so much to explore," I grunt. She nods. "The town seems like it has all sorts of hidden streets and alleys. It will be so much fun." I roll my eyes and begin to unpack. Thirty minutes later, I am up in my room, sitting on my matress. My mom knocks and steps in. "Hey," she says. "Don't act so sad. We'll go to visit London." "Yeah," I spurt. "Right." "Honey," she says, touching my hand. "You'll love it here. I promise." "You can't keep a promise," I growl. "Nobody, not even you, can guarentee that I'll like it here." She sighs and hugs me. "I'm your mother. I need to support you like that." She stands and leaves and I pull the covers over my head, soon drifting off into sleep. Chapter 2 I wake to the sound of a bird chirping. I sit up in bed and yawn before crawlig out and hopping in the shower. I get in and then realise it doesn't work. Great. We won't have plumbing till Monday. It is Saturday. I roll my eyes, put on some deoderant, and walk down the stairs. My mom is already standing there. "Hi, Honey!" she greets. "Hello," I reply. I sit down at the counter. "So, what's for breakfast." She looks at me. "Oh, we'll have to get it from the bakery today," she says. "We don't have anything." "And you expect me to get it?" I say, knowing the answer. She nods. "It'll be a great way to see the town and meet new people." "I guess," I sigh before standing up. "Money, please." Mom nods and she fishes around in her purse before pulling out two twenty pound bills. She hands them to me. "Get some pain au chocolat ''or croissants or something, but also get bread, meat, and cheese. A gallon of two percent milk would be great, too." I smile halheartedly. "Jeez, I feel like I'm buying breakfast for the army." My mom laughs as I walk out the door into the small, shaded lawn. True enough, Wolfhall is pretty nice. I especially love the cobblestone streets. They are so quaint. I get onto the sidewalk and begin to walk towards the town sqaure. I hear laughter from the town sqaure as I apporach and I realize that this place could be really good after all. But first, I just had to meet some people and make some friends. How hard can making friends be in this town? I turn the corner and walk into the town square. It is beatiful. There is an arch on one side that says something in Latin, I don't know what. The fountain sprays water out of a statue of two people beside a huge wolf. Water falls out of the men's mouth and into their cupped hands. From their, it drains into the fountain. Three streams of water trickle out of the the wolf's nostrils and mouth. It is very intricate and makes me gasp. People mill about. It's shocking how many people there are, considering that it is only ten in the morning. A nice cafe seems very popular. There is a line to get in and the outside patio is occupied by a group of kids my age. Right next door is the bakery. Across the sqaure from the bakery is a chocolate and candy shop, called the Chocolate River. Even the name tempts me. I peer over and can see wonderful, delicious displays of chocolate right in the window. My mouth waters and I decide to buy us a big box of them. A small general store sits adjacent to the Chocolate River. That's where I assume I will find the milk. Beside that is a resturant that looks delicious. Other storefronts in the sqaure include a library, a bookstore, a shoe shop, a clothing store, an electronics place, a deli, and another resturant. Wow. This is amazing. It is so much like London, yet so different. I walk towards the bakery but pass the cafe on my way in. Most of the kids give me strange looks like, "Who's the new guy?" But on girl, a beautiful girl with flowing blonde hair and dazzling green eyes, smiles at me and waves. I wave back and walk into the bakery. It's busy. People bustle in and out and there is a line of about five people in front of me. The display case shows off amazing looking treats and pastries, but I just decide on four ''pain au chocolat ''and a croissant. Soon, I am in line and the baker is looking at me, expecting my order. "Hello," I say. "Could I take four ''pain au chocolat ''and a croissant?" The baker nods and quickly fishes them out and puts them neatly into a bag. "Anything else?" he asks. "Oh, yeah," I remember, "one loaf od French bread, please." "Sure." He dissappears into the back and comes out with a two foot long loaf of French bread. It must have been just out of the oven, because I could feel the heat on me from a foot away. It smelled tantalizing and delicious. He rings it up and slides open the cash register. "11.25 pounds," he says. I hand over one of the twenty pound bills and he sticks it in the register before handing me 9 pounds and 75 cents back. I smile and put all my baked goods into the bag and I walk out into the cooler, crisper air. I head over to the deli, which sits next to the bookstore. This one isn't as busy, for I get served right away. I order a half pound of ham, a half pound of salami, and a half pound of Swiss cheese. Still have twenty-one pounds left, plenty to get milk ad chocolate. The milk cost three pounds, so I still had eighteen left. Plenty to get some chocolate for dessert. I walk right next door and open up the glass door. A wave of chocolate smells hit me as the door bell jingles. A German man stands behind the counter. "Guten morgen!" he greets. "Wie geht es dir? Schokoade?" I nod, vaguely understanding what he says. I am good at German from school. I order some carmel-chocolate, two chocolate bunnies, and other assorted goodies before leaving to go back home. I can't wait to try the chocolate. Chapter 3 I step outside of the chocolate sshop and look around. The sqaure is even busier than it was before. More people flood in, as if the whole town was gathering for something. What could they possibly be doing? I weave my way through the people, soon exiting the sqaure. Phew. I'm surprised I made it all the way through without dropping anything. I walk down the oak shaded streets when I hear a couple chuckles. I spin around, expecting to see some of the teenagers talking. But there is no one there. Footsteps lightly hit the ground in front of me, and I shift my head that direction. Before I can catch a glimpse of them, the next thing I know is I am falling to the ground looking at two figures sprinting away. I yelp and realize that I will probably break the milk as I fall. But I never hit the ground. Two arms hold me up at a forty-five degree angle. Somebody caught me, but who? The arms push me back up and get me onto two feet. I turn around and look into the eyes of the girl who smiled at me by the cafe. "Thanks," I say. She smiles. "No biggie," she replies. "Those two boys are just messing with you because you aren't one of us." Most people would think she said that like I wasn't a Wolfhallian. But she said it differently, like they were a different species or part of a secret cult. Weird. I wonder what she meant. "My name is Asmira," she introduces, sticking out her hand. I reply, "Michael." She pulls her hand back and chuckles a bit when she realizes that I am currently not able to shake her hand. "Hi, Michael. Where are you from?" "London," I say. "My mom decided to move here, but I am not sure why." "Oh," she says. "Do you like it here?" I shrug. "Got here at 11:00 last night. But it is pretty nice, even if the people are jerks." She laughs. "Yeah, they aren't used to change. We don't get many new people." I nod. "So, is the square always that busy?" She smiles, showing somewhat sharp teeth. "No," she says. "But tonight is the full moon. Meet me there at 12:30 in the afternoon." In a flash, she turns and runs back to the square, while I stand rooted to the ground, confused. A few minutes pass and then I turn a meander back to my house, excited for my meeting with Asmira. Chapter 4 I walk through the front door to see Mom, Lily, and David sitting around the kitchen counter, talking and laughing. I approach them and set down the bags right next to them. "I got some ''pain au chocolat, a croissant, some milk, some meat and cheese, and a bunch of chocolate from the chocolate shop in the sqaure," I tell them. "Sweet!" exclaims David. He reaches for the bag and pulls out the big bag of chocolates. Then my mom stands and sweeps the bag out of his hands. "Not now, David," she says. "Later. You haven't eaten breakfast yet." "Fine," sighs David before he grabs a ''pain au choclat. ''He pours a cup of milk and drinks it while he shoves the chocolate bread into his mouth. Lily does the same, but eats more mannerly. I shake my head and grab a croissant. "Hey, Mom," I say. She turns and looks at me with a smile on her face. "Yes?" "Well, on the way home," I begin, "I tripped and almost crushed everything, but some girl caught me and pulled me back up. Her name is Asmira. So, I talked to her for a little bit and then she told me to meet her at the sqaure at 12:30 this afternoon." She smiles brightly. I can tell she is happy that I am making friends already, especially because it is a girl. "I guess you can get out of packing for today." David pipes up. "Oh, I made a friend at four in the morning when I snuck out last night. He asked me to go hiking with him at 1:00." "Liar," Lily snips. "You didn't sneak out!" Mom chuckles and shakes her head. "You two have to help unpack, because I can't do it all alone. And it's time you guys did some chores." David and Lily sigh and finish their breakfast. I check my watch. 11:30. "Gotta go change," I say before running upstairs into my bedroom. I throw on some clean, fresh plaid shorts and a nice T-shirt to go along with it. I put on some deodorant and then sit on my bed. I sigh and pick up my iTouch. Scrolling through my music, a put it on shuffle and stick in my earbuds. For twelve minutes I listen to music before walking back down the stairs into the kitchen. I grab my wallet off of the counter and shout, "I'm going to meet Asmira!" Without waiting for a response, I walk out the front door and head towards the sqaure. A car drives by, and all three people in it give me funny looks as they pass. I raise one eyebrow, confused. Shrugging, I continue on my path to the sqaure. Tons of people are milling around, possibly three hundred. I scan the crowd for Asmira, but she never gave me an exact location of where to meet her. I walk farther in and then spot her, standing at the mouth of an alley on her tiptoes. I smile and head over towards her. "Hey," I say. She smiles. "Right on time," she replies, checking her watch. "Good. I wouldn't want to wait for this." Asmira turns and grabs my hand, heading into the alley. She walks fast and she's strong, so I stumble a lot behind her since she is practically dragging me to our destination. "Where are we going?" I ask. "Somewhere," she answers. I sigh. "Fine," I say jokingly. "Be that way." Asmira laughs and rounds a corner. I can see we are heading out of town because we are walking towards the mountain that overlooks Wolfhall. It takes thirty minutes to get out of town and she leads me through dense woods for another half hour. At 1:30, we walk out and end up on a trail heading up to the manor that sits halway up the mountain. She turns and smiles at me. "The view is breathtaking," she says. "You can see the whole town and the woods and everything. It's one of my favorite places here." "Sweet," I say. And we head up the trail. Chapter 5 At 2:45 we reach the flat ledge in front of the manor. I sit down, panting. Asmira reaches into her backpack that she had and pulls out a water bottle. She throws it to me and I catch it, quickly unscrewing the cap and gulping some down. "Thanks," I say. "Isn't this beautiful?" I nod and look over at the land spread before me. It truly is amazing. The whole town is spread out like a map and I can see the square, the people the size of termites. It is bustling from up here. Beyond it, the whole pine forest looks beautiful and serene from my position. Even farther, I can see some distant mountains. I wonder what towns lie near those mountains. Are the like Wolfhall? Probably not. Wolfhall is a one-in-the-world kind of town, I think. "Come look at this!" cries Asmira. I spin and see her a hundred feet away, looking to the east. She points in that direction and says, "Way over there is a town called Stakeford!" I hurry to her and stand beside her, gazing out at the gently rolling fields that are underneath the foothills of this mountain. As Asmira said, I can see the hazy outline of a town. A road snakes its way thorough the fields before dissappearing. Two-thirds way there is a river that cuts through the road. I can see the bridge from here. "Stakeford kind of has a feud with us," Asmira says. "We don't like passing into each other's lands, so if they ever deliver anything to us, we meet at the border line beside the river." "What's the feud about?" I ask. Asmira hesitates. "It's diffucult to explain." I can tell she's keeping something from me, something that sets the town apart from all others. I shrug and sit back down. "So, do you come up here often?" "Not a ton," she responds. "I don't have a lot of time, but I come up here maybe one or two times a month." "Wow," I say. "How did you find it?" "I came up here on a dare to go into the mansion and take something from it," she explains. "But I got distracted with all of this and didn't do it. I fell in love with this view and decided to just admire it instead of completing the dare." For a long while, we are silent. Then Asmira looks at me with a devious look on her face. "Want to go into the mansion?" I shrug. "Do people do it often?" I ask. "Is it even legal?" Asmira smiles but doesn't answer my question. "A lot of teens do it at some point in their life, but I still haven't done it yet. Everyone would respect you a lot more if you did it on your first day here." I smile and nod. "I'm up for it then. Let's go." Asmira fishes two flashlights out of her bag and we approach the stone mansion four hundred feet away. There is a huge wraparound porch and a grand door nine feet tall. I step up onto the porch and it creaks. Cringing, I leap back and shiver. "I'm creeped out already." Asmira laughs loudly and steps up before me. "It's not bad," she assures. "Well, not the porch at least." I have second thoughts about doing this, but I muster my courage and step up onto the porch. Asmira touches my hand lightly and then withdrawls to open the huge door. Chapter 6 A gust of wind blew a stale scent and a storm of dust on to us as Asmira opens the door. Eerie. It's like what you see in horror movies when they open up the doors of a haunted house and wind blows out at them. I never though that would be real, but it is right here in front of me. Asmira looks at me. "Are you coming?" she asks. "Yeah," I say, my voice shaking with fear. She smiles as I step through the door. "It's not that scary," she resassures. "It's just an old house with a lot of creaky and squeaky things." I smile and walk towards the stairs that lead up to the second floor. I step up onto the first step with Asmira right behind me. And then everything goes wrong. A scream rings in my ears from somewhere towards the back of the house, the stair I'm standing on breaks, and the chandelier in the center of the room falls. I collapse down a couple feet and shards of wood scrape my body. Cobwebs brush against my legs and I start to panic, seeing as I am stuck in some stairs. Asmira looks on in shock at the carnage. Glass is laying everywhere, making it a hazard for children. Luckily, there aren't any children here. . . at least, I hope not. "What happened?" I ask. She shrugs. "This is crazy!" she cries. "Did you hear that scream?" I nod and she gingerly begins to walk towards the back of the house while I attempt to pull myself out of the stairs. But it is to no avail. "A little help, Asmira?" I ask. "Oh, sorry," she says before rushing to my side. In one quick movement, she pulls me out of the crack and drags me off of the stairs. "Thanks," I say, sitting up and brushing myself off. I turn and look at her when she doesn't respond. She stands rooted to the ground, her eyes narrowed. I follow her gaze and see three pairs of eyes looking out from the shadows of the house. "Holy-!" I scream, grabbing onto Asmira's shirt. "Run!" She snarls, which I find a bit weird, and then shakes me off. "They won't hurt you. . . yet." I stop, eyes wide, and stare as the three pairs of eyes turn into three extremely fit twenty year olds. One of them bares his teeth, another weird act, and then glares at Asmira. "Why are you fraternizing with an outsider?" he growls. Asmira hisses. "He is not an outsider!" she spits back. "He is not one of us!" growls the second guy. "He doesn't know what we are and he will never be like us!" "I can sense it!" Asmira shoots back. "He is one of us. I can tell!" I step forward. "What's going on?" Asmira doesn't answer. Instead, she keeps talking to the three guys. "He is one of us." "Maybe he is!" the third man says. "But it doesn't mean you must fraternize with him. I'll take him to the council and see what they decide." "No!" Asmira barks. "It is up to his mother. She will decide what happens to him and ''then ''he will go to the council." The three guys start to crack their knuckles and Asmira's raged face turns into fear. She grabs my hand and drags me to the door. "We need to go," she says urgently. "Now!" Without looking back, we sprint outside and towards the mountain trail. Chapter 7 Asmira reaches into her bag once we reach the bottom of the mountain and pulls out a mobile phone. She dials in a number and then holds it up to her ear. After twenty seconds, I hear a muffled voice. "Yes, hello Mrs. Lupus," says Asmira. Why would Asmira be calling my mother. Why would Asmira even ''have ''my mother's number? Instead of intervening, I just stand there and wait. "We ran into some trouble at the mansion and now Michael here has been threatened by three of my kind," Asmira continues. "I need you to get us away from the mountain and to tell him the truth." I'm confused and very flustered. The truth? Asmira's kind? What is going on? "Bye," Asmira concludes, hanging up. She turns and looks at me. "Your mother is coming to pick us up and the two of us need to tell you something, Michael." I sigh. "My first day here, and I'm being dragged up a mountain, into a mansion, and then running back down the mountain only to be confronted by a phone call that makes absolutely no sense to me, whatsoever." Asmira touches my shoulder. "Everything will be explained soon, okay? Don't worry." I snort and sit on the ground until my mom's Acadia rolls up to us. The window slides down and she leans her head out. "Get in, both of you." I head to the shotgun and get in, buckling my seatbelt. Asmira slides into the back. My mother turns to me. "Michael, this town isn't what it seems," she begins. "Really?" I shoot back. She shakes her head. "Just listen," she continues. "Wait, let me cut to the chase right here and say pretty much what this is all about. Wolfhall is a town of werewolves and werewolf warriors." "What?!" I exclaim. My mom looks at me. "Wolfhall is one of the ancestral homes of werewolves. It has been like this for three millenia. That sign that says it was founded in 1576, that is a lie. It has been around since the Egyptian Empire. There are three other werewolf towns, one in Nepal, another in the middle of Africa, and a third in South America. Werewolves live everywhere, but the vast majority live in Wolfhall." "So what does this have to do with me?" I ask. "Michael," Asmira says. "Your family has been part of the Lycanthrope Clan since 265 BC. It's been passed down in your blood for hundreds upon hundreds of years. Your mother was born here in Wolfhall." "Are you saying my mother is a werewolf?" My mom shakes her head. "I'm not a werewolf, but my father was, and so was your father. Michael," she hesitates. But I can sense what is coming, what they are about to tell me. "Michael," my mom continues, "you are a werewolf!" Chapter 8 I was silent for the rest drive, but my mother and Asmira talked. They told me we were headed to the werewolf council, where I would have my first transformation into a werewolf, or die. Now, isn't that joyous. Finally, I speak up. "So, if I don't turn ino a werewolf they are going to kill me?" I ask. Asmira shakes her head. "It's not so simple. Your transformation might have just been delayed, so they would give you more time. Other things include that you are a werewolf warrior, a group of non-werewolf warriors that fight for Wolfhall. They have family history of werewolves, but they aren't themselves. You could become on of them. But me personally, I believe that you are a werewolf." "Thanks," I mutter. Twenty minutes later, we drive through a huge caste-iron gate and then down a shaded driveway. Up ahead, through the dim light, I can see a small castle. It is a square, with one tower on each corner. A courtyard stis in the middle and two two-story wings protrude from the west and east sides. It's very daunting and I hate to imagine what is in there, waiting for me. Two other cars are parked off to the side of the culdesac at the end of the way, so my mom puts our car right next to it. The three of us get out, slamming the doors shut. Night has fallen and I'm getting nervous. I walk half beside, half behind Asmira on my way there. Two huge men stand next to the oak doors, holding spears in their hands and swords on their sheathes. I assume they are werewolf warriors, here to protect the councilmembers. "Hello," I mutter darkly to them as I walk by. They don't respond. The main hall is lit by torches, and paintings of creepy men and women decorate them. At the far end, above two huge moonlight-silver doors, is a tapestry of a werewolf fighting off several species. I think I see vampires, witches, warlocks, and fairies. Great, more mythological creatures. Fun. Two more guards open the doors for us, but they seem nicer. "Are you Michael Lupus?" one asks me. I nod. He nudges me with his elbow and then whispers, "Good luck. Maybe you'll have great fortune and become a werewolf warrior." I guess nobody thinks I will turn into a werewolf. Don't you just love it when people doubt you? 'Cause I do. Rolling my eyes, I step into the council room. It is a huge, beautiful, terrifying room. Silver lights float around, offering the only source of light. There are no windows, no torches, no nothing. Just silver balls floating in the air. A fire place sits in one corner, but the only light coming from that is more silver balls. I think that is where they are produced. They seem to be coming from the fireplace, down the chimney and out. A couple silver leather chairs sit around the fireplace and some benches line the walls, but I don't see much other furniture. At the back wall, the thing you see in a court room where a judge sits, stand, filled with people. But instead of just one, there are five. One person sits in the high seat, and then one person on either side. There are fifteen people in the room. I assume the people on the higher seats are the council members, and the others are advisers and scribes. The hall falls dead silent as our trio approaches. Everyone looks up and all the eyes fall onto me. Creepy. "Michael Lupus?" asks the only woman on the council. She is poised and dignified, with a long nose, glasses, and dark brown hair that fall to her shoulder blades. She looks young and tough, ready to fight and defend her town. "Yes," I reply. She nods and then looks at a paper. "You are here today for your test to become a werewolf," she continues, "or to fail." I sigh and breathe in deeply. "Now, Sesea, you don't have to put it like that," my mother says. "I agree, Lisa," a man at the far end says. He is huge and muscular, but has a kind face. "Sesea, let somebody else talk. You're making this already depressing hall even more depressing." The other three council members laugh and Asmira shares a smile with them. The corner of my mouth curls up and I feel a quiet laugh coming up when Sesea speaks. "Very well," she says. "You can have it your way, Morad. But it will not be you who speaks. Romulus, speak." And old man that sits beside Sesea stands in his high chair and nods. "Michael Lupus, today you have been brought forth to change into your true identity as a werewolf. There is speculation that you are not a werewolf, but just an ordinary human. We will find out, and if it is the latter, I personally hope that you will have the strength to become a werewolf warrior, as I hate to have people die on their transformation days." "I understand that this is high-risk," I say. "And I hope to come out alive." Morad stands and begins to talk. "Michael, what we will do is begin to read your thoughts, your past, in a way that you won't understand. We will search into the deepest parts of your mind and body, and if we think you are ready, we will vote. If the vote is three-two, then we will attempt to transform you. If it is two-three, then you will either be killed or sent into training for werewolf warriors." "What if it is four-one, or unanimous?" I ask. "That rarely ever happens," Sesea says. "So don't get your hopes up." "This may take a while, MIchael. I'm talking hours," says Romulus. "Now, let the Lunum Concilium begin the probing." And they all close their eyes and begin to hum lightly while sticking their hands out at me. I feel something strange inside my body, as if somebody is crawling around my stomach. I assume that is their minds probing me. Unaware of how much time passes, I see one of the council members stick his hand up in the air. Soon after, the other one who I don't know raises their hand into the air. Morad, Sesea, and Romulus remain with their eyes closed, searching me. For a long time, none of them raise their hands. I begin to sweat, worried that I am not going to pass the test and will die or become a werewolf warrior. I see Asmira and my mother are thinking the same thoughts. Then, Romulus and Morad raise their hands almost simultaneously and open their eyes. Sesea is struggling, twitching in her chair. I think she is trying to find something that will prove I am not a werewolf. But then, five minutes later, she opens her eyes and raises her hand. With shock, she looks around. "My Lupa," she says. "Unanimous. Unbelievable." One of the other council members stands, the first one who voted me a werewolf. "I, Castro Dufar, pronounce Michael Lupus as a werewolf. Are there any others who say the same?" Morad stands. "I, Morad Taestra, pronounce MIchael Lupus as a werewolf. Are there any others who say the same?" Romulus stands. "I, Romulus Shakespeare, pronounce MIchael Lupus as a werewolf. Are there any others who say the same?" The second guy who voted for me stands too. "I, Atel Mostrae, pronounce MIchael Lupus as a werewolf. Are there any others who say the same?" Sesea looks around in shock. I have a feeling the rules say she can back out and say I'm just a human, but I don't think she will, because she stands. "I, Sesea Halon, pronounce MIchael Lupus as a werewolf. It is agreed that Michael Lupus is a werewolf by the Lunum Concilium. Anyone has the right to challenge. Does anybody do so?" Nobody moves or talks. "Then by the power of Lupa, we proclaim Michael Lupus as a werewolf of Wolfhall." The five of them stick their hands out and start to chant, "O Magna Lupa, eum mutas! O Magna Lupa, eum mutas! O Magna Lupa, eum mutas!" Silver lights shoot out of their hands and strike me in the chest. I feel a great pain to start boil up in me and my chest feels like its ripping apart. I clench my hands and hold them to my chest, collapsing onto my knees. "Help me!" I cry. "Mother, Asmira, help!" The make no move and suddenly I fell angry. But before I can do anything, I slip away into blackness. I wake up lying on the ground. I attempt to grab onto my mother's leg, but I can't. I don't have any hands. I look at myself and I am a huge golden-brown wolf with four legs and a tail. I probably weigh two hundred pounds. My teeth feel sharper and my sense are magnified. I can smell the scent of Morad's cologne, as well as many other smells. My eyes can read the writings on the benches a hundred feet away. I can hear the silver balls twinkling around the room. The council members look at me with satisfaction. Sesea stands and says, "Michael Lupus, you are a werewolf!" I feel myself changing back into my human form and then my mother and Asmira come and hug me. "You survived," whispers Asmira. "Thank Lupa." "I'm a werewolf," I say. "I'm a werewolf." PART TWO I've been a werewolf for three months now, and I am learning to change at will, whenever I want. It is actually really cool to be a werewolf and I'm learning so much stuff. But yet, David and Lily still don't know about the whole town. My mother is going to tell them soon. Nobody will tell me what the fued between Stakeford and Wolfhall is, other than that it is hard to explain. But I have the feeling that I am going to find out soon what it is. And I don't think it will be pretty. Chapter One TBC. . . Henryjh98 23:20, May 22, 2012 (UTC) Category:Stories Category:Fantasy Category:werewolf